Hereditary
by JohnlockinaTARDIS
Summary: A young boy named James grew up with a secret he can't tell anyone: his power over metal objects. One day he reveals that secret and has to run away. He finds a school for kids like him and doesn't have to hide his power any more. Still in progress.


**Chapter 1**

My friends call me "Magnet", the kids who hate me call me "Metal-Dectector", Professor X says I have the same power as an older Mutant.

* * *

My name is James Chase. I am sixteen years old and all those years I've only lived with my mother; I never met my dad before. I am part of a special school taught by...you guessed it, Professor X. He trains our Mutant powers and we return the favor by forming an army with unimaginable powers. I have the power over metal, which is how I earned the name "Magnet" from my friends. Professor X, however, says that I have the same power as a previous Mutant and that it is rare to have the same power as another. And I believe he is correct about that. I have never met two Mutants before with the same power.

And all this Mutant stuff began to show up throughout my entire existence, but it showed up big time when I was eight. And that's the day when I suddenly realized what I was. What I will become...

* * *

_(Flashback)_

_May 6, 2005_

_I remember the day clearly._

_I was with my friend, Andrew, in his yard. We were playing a game of baseball with the neighboring boys. Andrew and I were on one team with one of the neighbors while the rest were on another team. Andrew's dad was playing as coach. He made us flip a coin to determine the start of the game and it ended with my team up at bat and the other team on the field. Blowing the whistle that hung around his neck, the game started. I was up to bat first. The biggest of the boys on the other team got ready to pitch the ball. He threw it and the ball came charging at me. I swung the bat and hit the ball hard. It flew high over the other boys as I dropped the wooden bat and sprinted to first base. Second base was free as well and I ran towards it._

_Unfortunately, the pitcher saw me and abandoned his post on top of the mound. He chased after me. Desperately, I tried sprinting, but I was already out of breath for some strange reason. And just before he reached me, I heard him gasp and fall behind. Not daring to turn and watch, I made it to second and looked back at the scene. The pitcher, Mark, was trying to walk, but his shoes kept pulling him back. I frowned, not knowing at all what was happening. It was only later that I realized I had sensed the metal around the laces holes of Mark's sneakers and unintentionally pulled him back using those._

_Mark and I locked eyes and his shoes stopped pulling him back. I breathed in deeply and caught my breath, safe on second base._

_Andrew was up to bat next. He made it fly into the trees and sprinted to first while I went to third base. Mark scowled at me, but I shrugged it off. Looking back at home plate, our last teammate was up—Gary Smith. He gripped the bat and waited patiently for Mark to pitch the ball. He did. It flew through the air and Gary swung, missing it by inches. Strike. Mark threw the ball again and Gary made a wild swing, again missing it._

_"C'mon Gary!" I shouted. He set his jaw and gripped the bat. Mark sneered and winked at me. I glared back at the pitcher. Mark laughed silently to himself and threw the ball. This time, determined Gary gave his all. Swinging the bat, he hit the ball as hard as he could and it flew over the trees, over the road, over the fence into a neighbor's yard. Gary sprinted to first base, Andrew to second, and myself to home. I made it. Andrew passed second and third base, barreling straight to home base. Gary, with nothing to lose, charged passed third. The two kids on the other team out in the field were closing rapidly. They were only about two meters away when my power kicked in. Immediately, the one ahead fell and the one behind tripped over his fallen friend. Mark himself left his position—again—and chased after the runaway batter. Suddenly, something that I could tell had once been shiny popped up from the ground—about the size of a brick—, making Mark stumble. Gary slid into home and scored us a third home run._

_Mark didn't like that. He spat at us and yelled._

_"Idiot!" was the first word out of his mouth. "You're an Idiot, you know that?! A cheating, stupid idiot!"_

_Sore-Loser Mark started to charge me, gaining speed with every stride. My power suddenly kicked in. A metal street-sign was uprooted and flew over. It put itself between me and Mark, making the boy slam full-force into it. He groaned loudly and fell over backwards, landing on his backside and clutching his stomach. He started scooting away as the neighborhood boys stared at me and moved away...except for Andrew. He approached me cautiously and whispered,  
_

_"How long have you known?"_

_"Since I was four." I turned to his dad. He was still and glaring at me, like I murdered his son. Andrew bit his lip, the way he does when he's nervous, and didn't say anything. I watched him like I could see the gears whirring in his head, putting the puzzle pieces together. All those times we were together and something abnormal happened. He probably remembered the time we were at an amusement park last year and the roller coaster suddenly stopped...my doing. Or the time we were being chased by a stranger on a bike and he crashed into a car on the street—to our right—for no apparent reason. Again, I did that. I watched as Mark was fuming with anger, still sprawled on the ground._

_"Freak!" He screamed. "Freaking freak!"  
_

_I glared at him, then at the neighborhood boys, too scared to make a move. My eyes rested on Andrew and my gaze softened. Some sort of understanding passed between us. I suddenly knew from then on that we couldn't be friends anymore. There was too much danger and it was like we were at other ends of a widening canyon, too wide to jump across no matter how much I wanted to. I took a deep breath and did the last thing I expected myself to do... _

_I ran, straight into the woods._

* * *

_May 13, 2005_

_After a week of running away and scavenging for food and sleeping in strange places, I finally found myself in front of Professor X's school for freaks (a.k.a. mutants, the slightly nicer way of putting it). I emerged from the woods to see a mansion rise up in front of me. The sun beat down on me from the heavens and the sky couldn't be any less clear. I smiled for the first time in days. Even though I **didn't** know it was a place to practice my powers, I didn't care._

_Then, I noticed two young kids, maybe twelve and eight, and an older man just outside the door. The man was talking to them and the twelve-year-old was listening while the eight-year-old was looking around, curious. I was just debating whether to approach them or not when the younger one noticed me. I must've looked beat up, scratched, tired, and dirty, but Eight-Year-Old pointing in my direction and said something to the man. He looked over at me and looked me over. I was sure he was going to ignore me, but surprisingly, he beckoned me over. I hesitantly started and then walked faster. I stopped, ten meters away.  
_

_"Why are you out here?" the man asked. The two kids stared at me._

_"I, um...I ran away," I said finally. The man nodded slowly._

_"May I ask why you did?" He now approached me warily. I stepped back._

_"My friends and family won't accept me for what I can do," was my answer._

_"What can you do?"_

_I raised my hand and pointed to the mail box at the end of the gravel walkway. It shuddered and I ripped it off the post it was on. Then, I slammed back down on the post with enough force that the post stuck out the top. The man frowned for a brief second before it was erased from his face and he smiled to cover up._

_"I think you'll be just right for this school," he said at last. "Come on in and join me in the school for kids like you. I'm Professor Charles Xavier. And welcome to your new home."_

_(Flashback ends)_

* * *

**Please tell me what you think!**


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